Folding combination table and chair unit



0a. 27, 1970 K. 9. WILSON 3,536,356

FOLDING COMBINATION TABLE AND CHAIR UNIT Filed May 31, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENTOR.

KsnM/r 1 1.- VVmso/v .A T TOFPNEYS Oct. 27, 1970 K, H, mm; 3,536,356

FOLDING COMBINATION TABLE AND CHAIR UNIT Filed May 31, 1968 Y 5 Sheets-ShegtB I INVENTOR. KERN/7' H W/Lso/v flikwqgwa ATTORNEYS Oct. 27, 1970 K. H. wlLsoN FOLDING COMBINATION TABLE AND CHAIR UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 31, 1968 FIG.

I NVENTOR. KERN/7" H WILSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,536,356 FOLDING COMBINATION TABLE AND CHAIR UNIT Kermit H. Wilson, Minneapolis, Minn. (7525 Cahill Road, Edina, Minn. 55435) Filed May 31, 1968, Ser. No. 733,342 Int. Cl. A47c 3/04 US. Cl. 297-239 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combination table and chair unit that converts into a buffet unit. The table-top comprises two half portions, one of which is pivotally attached to a supporting structure, with the two half portions being hinged together. The two half portions lie in a coplanar relationship to form a table-top, but in the buffet position, the two half portions fold together and pivot to a position within the outline of the supporting structure. An even number of chairs are provided, each having a folding backrest member and a folding seat member. The seat member and the backrest member swing rearwardly and downwardly until the backrest member lies within the outline of a pair of vertical backrest support members and the seat member rests against the backrest member. In the buffet position, the folded chairs are stacked in pairs in a side-by-side relationship beneath the folded table-top. A first folded chair of each pair is inverted and superimposed over the second folded chair. The rearward face of the backrest member of the second chair of each pair forms part of a vertical front face of the buffet unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates generally to the field of convertible furniture, but more particularly relates to a folding combination table and chair unit that converts into a buffet unit in the folded position, with the folded chairs stacked in pairs beneath the folded table.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Many homes, apartments and offices are not sufficiently spacious to comfortably hold items of furniture that are only infrequently used. For this reason, many items of furniture have been designed for multiple uses and for convenience of storage when not being used for their primary purpose. For example, dining tables have been designed with folding, sliding or removable tops that permit a reduction in the size of the table when it is not being used for its intended purpose. The converted table can then be stored against a wall and used as a side board or buffet. Although it has been possible to reduce the area occupied by the upper board of the table, the chairs have often presented a problem since in many cases they have occupied the same space whether in use or not.

Another serious problem with convertible furniture has been that the appearance of the furniture has usually been dictated by the functional requirements. In the effort to achieve maximum utility, the appearance has often been sacrificed. As a result, the consumer who places more emphasis on decorative effect than on space saving utility will reject such a product in favor of a more decorative product that may not fit his actual needs. On the other hand, undue emphasis on appearance may result in a poor product from the functional standpoint.

The basic functional operation of the convertible table and chair unit disclosed herein are part of the prior art. The prior art unit converted from a dining table with associated chairs to a sideboard or buffet unit in which the chairs were folded and stacked in pairs beneath the folded table. The unit had a pleasing appearance in both positions, but some of the utilitarian aspects of the unit were not as highly developed as the decorative aspects. As a result, structural failures were encountered after normal usage of the furniture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The convertible table and chair unit disclosed herein retains the desirable functional and decorative features of the prior art while providing unique features of construction that will prevent structural failure of the unit during normal usage. In the present invention, the construction of each chair is such that any danger of structural failure of the backrest member is virtually eliminated. Each vertically movable and laterally pivotable backrest member is attached to the upstanding backrest support members of the chair by a novel operating and locking mechanism to be described hereafter in more detail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a folding table and a nestable chair combination constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown with the table-top in an open position for normal use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective View of the structure of FIG. 1 in a nested or buffet position of the table and chairs;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view as seen from the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the table as seen from the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the folding table as seen from right to left of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing full and dotted lines intermediate folding positions;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view in section of one of the chairs as seen substantially from the line 77 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing a folded position of the chair;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view seen substantially from the line 99 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 1010 of FIG. 7, portions thereof broken away and shown in section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals are used throughout the several views to indicate like elements of the invention, there is disclosed a table 10. Table 10 has a supporting structure including a pair of generally U-shaped end frame members 11 and 12. Each of the end frame members 11 and 12 comprises a pair of vertical, parallel legs designated by the letters a and b that are connected at their top ends by a connector member, designated 0. Rear legs 11b and 12b are firmly connected together by an upper cross beam 13 and a lower cross beam 14. Cross beams 13 and 14 extend horizontally and are parallel to each other. Front legs 11a and 12a are connected together near their top ends by a horizontally extending cross beam 15. The above identified members form the basic supporting structure for table 10.

Table 10 has a table-top 16 comprising two identical half sections 16a and 16b. Table-top 16 is thus split longitudinally at its exact center. Table-top portions 16a and 16b are pivotally connected together at their adjoining edges by a pair of hinges 17.

Table-top portion 16a is pivotally attached at its opposite ends to connector members and by a pair of pins 18. When table-top 16 is in its fully opened position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, half portions 16a and 16b lie in a co-planar relationship with the top surface thereof lying in the same plane as the upper surfaces of connector members 11c and 12c. Table-top portion 16:: is supported in the open position by pins 18 and by a pair of metal pins 1% and 20 that are welded to the rear edges of end frame members 11 and 12, at the proper level, as best shown in FIG. 5. Table-top portion 16b is supported by a pair of wedge-shaped wooded members 21 which are attached to the bottom surface thereof by screws or the like. Wedge-shaped members 21 rest directly on cross beam 15 with table-top 10 in the open position.

To further support table-top 16 in the open position, table 10 is provided with a pair of end panels 25 and 26 pivotally mounted in the upper portions of U-shaped end frame members 11 and 12. Each of the end panels 25, 26 is pivotally attached adjacent its upper edge to the legs a and b of the corresponding end frame members 11 or 12, by means of a pair of oppositely disposed pins 27 and 28. The bottom edge of each end panel 25, 26 is provided with a spring-loaded ball-type connector member 29. A mating connector member is attached to the under surface of table-top 16 near its center. As best shown in FIG. 5, with table-top 16 in its open position, the two end panels 25 and 26 can be swung inwardly and upwardly to lock the pair of connector members 29 in the mating connector member 30. A pair of downwardly extending support pins 31 and 32 are mounted in the under surface of half-portion 16b close to the center of the table and at opposite ends thereof. The bottom ends of pins 31 and 32 engage the upper surfaces of end panels 25 and 26, respectively, relatively close to a line drawn between pivot pins 27 and 28 of each, when the end panels are folded upwardly as in FIG. 6. End panels 25 and 26, when locked in connector member 30 thus prevent open table-top 16 from being pushed downwardly at its center because support pins 31 and 32 engage the upper surfaces thereof.

Table 10 can also be converted to a buffet unit by folding together and pivoting the two half portions until they lie within the outline of the supporting structure. To accomplish this maneuver, end panels 25 and 26 are first released from their spring-loaded connection with connector member 30 and are allowed to hang in a vertical position within the confines of their associated end frame members 11 and 12, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. After end panels 25 and 26 have been released, table-top half-section 16w is lifted upwardly at its outer edge to pivot it about pins 18, as shown in FIG. 6. This movement of half-portion 16a causes half-portion 16b to pivot downwardly and inwardly about hinges 17. These swinging movements of half-portions 16a and 16b are continued as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 6 until tabletop half portion 16b reaches a fully horizontal position within the confines of the supporting structure, with halfportion 16a lying directly above it. In this folded or buffet position, the front edge of half-portion 16b lies directly on cross beam 15, while the rear edge is supported by hinges 17 connected to half-portion 16a, which in turn is supported by pins 18. Since the bottom surface of half-portion 16a forms the top surface of the unit in the buffet position, as shown in FIG. 2, it is provided with a suitable finish. It is further noted that each of the table-top half-sections 16a and 16b is a rectangular section equal in dimensions to the supporting structure so that the folded top lies completely within the outline of the folding structure when in the buffet position, as shown in FIG. 2.

A plurality of chairs 35 are also provided, each of the chairs being identical in construction. Since chairs 35 are identical in construction, a single one will be described in detail and that explanation will apply to all of them. Each chair 35 is supported by a fixed, non-folding frame having a pair of front legs 36, a pair of rear legs 37, a pair of side bars 38 connected to legs 36 and 37, a pair of laterally extending front and rear bars 39, and a pair of upstanding backrest support members 40 and 41. Backrest support members 40 and 41 are actually upward extensions of rear legs 37, but they will be considered separate structures for the purposes of this description. The entire frame of each chair 35 is constructed from tubular metal having a generally rectangular cross section. The open tops of backrest support members 40 and 41 and front legs 36 are provided with suitable caps 42. As previously mentioned, the entire frame of each chair 35 is solidly welded together so that it does not fold.

Each chair 35 is provided with a padded seat member and a wooden backrest member 46. Seat member 45 is pivotally mounted a predetermined distance above the upper level of side bars 38 by means of a configured metal rod 47.

Metal rod 47 includes a pair of side portions 47a that are secured to the opposite side edges if seat member 45. Extending vertically downwardly from the front ends of the two side portions 47a is an inverted, U- shaped front portion 47b which rests on front cross bar 39 to provide support for the front of seat member 45. Extending downwardly from the rear ends of side portions 47a are a pair of L-shaped portions 470, the bottom horizontal legs of which are mounted in suitable openings in side bars 38 to support seat member 45 and to permit pivotal movement thereof.

Backrest member 46 is a rectangular member preferrably constructed from a single laminated sheet of wood. The width of backrest member 46 is slightly less than the distance between upstanding backrest support members 40 and 41 so that it occupies substantially the entire space between the two backrest support members. Backrest support members 40 and 41 extend vertically upwardly from the two rear legs 37 and are parallel to each other. Backrest member 46 is spaced from the rear edge of seat member 45 a predetermined distance, and is pivotally connected thereto by means of a pair of hinge members 50 and 51. Each hinge member 50 and 51 is connected both to the rear edge of seat member 45 and to the lower front face of backrest member 46. Therefore, any swinging movements of either backrest member 46 or seat member 45 will be accompained by a corresponding movement of the other member.

The upper portion of backrest member 46 is supported by the two upstanding backrest support members 40 and 41. The opposite side edges of backrest member 46 are provided with suitable cutouts 52 and 53 into which are inserted rectangular metal plates 54 and 55 having metal pins 56 and 57 extending outwardly from one edge thereof. Each of the metal plates 54 and 55 is provided with a pair of threaded openings, such as 58, that is aligned with a corresponding opening in the front face of backrest member 46. A threaded metal screw, such as 59, is inserted through the opening in backrest member 46 and threaded into the opening 58 to securely hold the metal plates 54 and 55 in position. When in position, the two metal pins 56 and 57 extend outwardly from the oppo site side edges of backrest member 46 a predetermined distance.

The inner faces of the two backrest support members 40 and 41 are provided with corresponding vertical grooves 60 and 61. Grooves 60 and 61 provide an opening from the outside surface of the tubular support members into the hollow interior of each. Pin 56 extends into groove 60, while pin '57 extends into groove 61. The diameter of the pins 56 and 57 is only slightly less than the width of grooves 60 and 61 so that virtually no forward or rearward movements of backrest member 46 can occur. However, pins 56 and 57 are free to move vertically within their corresponding grooves.

FIG. 7 discloses a chair 35 in the normal seating position with seat member 45 lying in a generally horizontal plane and backrest member 46 forming an obtuse angle with respect thereto. In the normal seating position shown in FIG. 7, the bottom portion of backrest member 46 is supported by hinge members 50 and 51 and is positioned in front of the two upstanding backrest support members and 41. The upper portion of backrest member 46 extends above the top ends of backrest support members 40 and 41. In general, in the normal seating position, backrest member 46 lies in a plane that forms an acute angle with the vertical plane extending through backrest support members 40 and 41.

To place each chair 35 in the folded position, the front edge of seat member is lifted upwardly so that seat member 45 is swung rearwardly and downwardly about the connection of L-shaped portions 470 with side bars 38. This swinging movement of seat member 45 is accompanied by a corresponding movement of backrest member 46. The bottom portion of backrest member '46 moves rearwardly at the same time that the entire back rest member 46 slides downwardly between the two backrest support members 40 and 41. At the end of the maneuver, backrest member 46 is vertically positioned within the outlines of backrest support members 40 and 41, and has moved downwardly so that its upper edge lies below the upper ends of backrest support members 40 and 41. In this folded position, as shown in FIG. 8, the bottom edge of backrest member 46 lies behind rear cross bar 39 and the two hinge members 50 and 51 are in contact with and supported by the upper edge of rear cross bar 39. Further, seat member 45 assumes a vertical position with its upper surface lying against the front surface of backrest member 46.

With chair 35 in its normal seating position, pins 56 and 57 are positioned at the upper end of their corresponding grooves 60 and 61. When the seat member 45 and the backrest member 46 are swung to their folded position, pins 56 and 57 travel downwardly in their corresponding slots or grooves 60 and 61 until they reach a position near the bottom ends thereof, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 10. To hold the chair in the folded position, a spring means '65 is mounted within tubular backrest support member 40. Spring means 65 is secured at its upper end to the inner surface of backrest support member 44} above groove "60 by means of a suitable bolt and nut 61. Spring means 65 is a leaf spring having a pair of op positely inclined ramp surfaces 65a and 6517 that form an apex 65c facing slot 60. Thus, ramp surface 65a is spaced away from groove 60 at its upper end and gradually inclines toward groove 60 at its lower end until it reaches the apex 65c. Extending downwardly from apex 65a is the oppositely inclined ramp surface 65b, which is much shorter than ramp surface 65a and forms a greater angle with the vertical. Extending vertically downwardly from the bottom end of ra-mp surface 65c is a vertical bottom portion 65d. As pin 56 moves downwardly into groove 60, the end of the pin gradually engages ramp surface 65a to force leaf spring 65 to move outwardly with respect thereto. When pin 56 moves over apex 650, however, leaf spring 65 moves inwardly to its normal position rather quickly in view of the steep inclination of ramp surface 65b. When the folding maneuver is completed, the pin 56 rests against the ramp surface 65b, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 10. At this point, leaf spring 65 offers the greatest resistance to movement of pin 56. Therefore, leaf spring 65 yieldingly retains pin 56 and the associated backrest member 46 in the folded position until sufficient force is applied to overcome the force applied by leaf spring 65. The force applied by leaf spring 65 is sufficient to hold the chair in the folded position during normal handling, but is easily overcome by pulling outwardly at the upper edge of folded seat member 45.

The above described folding and locking mechanism provides strong support for the backrest member 46 in both the normal seating position and in the folded position. The insertion of metal plates 54 and into the cutouts 52 and 53 does not appreciably weaken the backrest member 46. Since the metal plates '54 and 55, the pins 56 and 57, and the tubular backrest support members 40 and 41 are made of metal, they can also withstand a good deal of pressure and use without incurring any damage. The present invention, therefore, provides a strong support structure for the backrest member 46 that will operate easily and quietly.

To place the entire unit in the buffet position, as shown in FIG. 2, the table-top 16 is first folded and pivoted as heretofore described. It will be noted at this point that an even number of chairs are used so that they can be stacked in pairs. In the embodiment shown, four chairs are provided, although six or more could be used simply by lengthening the table. To stack the chairs 35, each of them is first folded to the position shown in FIG. 8. One chair of each pair is then inverted and superimposed over the other chair of the pair, as shown in FIG. 3. In this position, the side bars 38 of the upper chair rest directly on the side bars 38 of the lower chair. The folded seat member 45 of the inverted chair fits between the front legs 36 of the other chair, while the folded seat member 45 of the bottom chair fits between the inverted front legs 36 of the upper chair. A very compact stacking arrangement of each pair of chairs is thus achieved.

After the chairs are stacked in pairs, they are inserted in a side-by-side relationship beneath folded table-top 16 between the U-shaped end frame members 11 and 12. The pairs of chairs are inserted from the front of the table beneath cross beam 15 until they strike cross beam 14 on the opposite side. In this position, as shown in FIG. 2, the rear edges of rear legs 37 and upstanding backrest support members 40 and 41 lie in the same plane as the outer edge of legs 11a and 12a of table 10. Since the chair are folded, the backrest member 46 of each bottom chair of each pair is positioned vertically so that its rear surface forms a portion of the front face of the buffer unit. Because of this, and because all of the chairs are stacked beneath the table when in the buffet position, a very compact unit, having a pleasing appearance is achieved.

The unit can be quickly converted from a buffet unit, as shown in FIG. 2, to a dining table, as shown in FIG. 1, by simply pulling out the pairs of chairs, unstacking them, and folding the seat members 45 and backrest members 46 to the normal seating position. Table-top 16 is then unfolded to place the two half-portions 16a and 16b in a coplanar relationship, as shown in FIG. 1. Table-top 16 can be unfolded from the buffet position quickly and easily by pressing downwardly on the right hand edge of the folded top as viewed in FIG. 3. The folded top then pivots about pins 18, causing the front edges of half-portions 16a and 16b to immediately begin to rise and spread apart for easy access to the upper one. End panels 25 and 26 then folded inwardly and upwardly to engage support pins 31 and 32 and are locked in connector member 30. Both the table and the chairs are very strong since their basic supporting structure is not folded. However, because of the unique construction of these units, they can be quickly and easily converted from a full dining room set into a very compact and decorative buffet unit.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pair of folding chairs designed for stacking when not in use, each of said chairs having a tubular frame including a pair of spaced, upstanding backrest support members, and further having a seat member and a backrest member, said seat member being pivotally attached to said tubular frame, said seat member and backrest member being pivotally attached to each other to permit rearwardly and downwardly swinging movements of each from a normal seating position to a folded position in which said backrest member is positioned within the outline of said backrest support members and said seat member is positioned against said backrest member, one of said chairs in the folded position being inverted and superimposed over said other chair for storage purposes, the improvement comprising means for connecting said back- 7 rest member to said backrest support members including:

(a) a pair of generally vertically extending grooves formed in the sides of said tubular backrest support members, said grooves facing each other and each of said grooves facing a corresponding side edge of said backrest member;

(b) pair of pins mounted in and extending outwardly from the side edges of an upper portion of said backrest member, said pins extending into said grooves to provide support for the upper portion of said backrest member, said pins being vertically movable within said grooves during swinging movements of said backrest member and said seat member; and

(0) spring means mounted in at least one of said tubular backrest support members to engage said corresponding pin and yieldingly retain said backrest member and seat member in the folded position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pins are positioned at the upper ends of said grooves with said chair in a normal seating position and are positioned at the bottom ends of said grooves with said chair in a folded position, and wherein said spring means is constructed to provide an overcenter action during movement of said pin so that the greatest resistance to movement of said pin occurs with said pin positioned at the bottom end of said groove.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said spring means is a left spring secured within said tubular backrest support member at its uper end, and is constructed to form a pair of oppositely inclined ramp surfaces engageable with the end of said pin during its travel within said groove, said pair of ramp surfaces forming a yieldable apex facing said pin intermediate the top and bottom of said groove to provide an overcenter action to yieldingly retain said backrest and seat members in the folded position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,916,772 7/1933 Pratt 297-59 2,374,848 5/1945 Wohlk 297-343 FOREIGN PATENTS 168,402 6/ 1951 Austria. 708,410 5/ 1954 Great Britain.

JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 297331 

